Sweepstakes casinos are still riding high in the US, despite crackdowns from New York, California, and a dozen other states.

In July 2026, player interest in sweepstakes casinos reached its highest level of the year, touching 14.24 million on the Sweepstakes Blask Index, measured using online search and digital demand signals.

The figure is up from 13.83 million in June, showing that consumer demand for sweepstakes casinos is far from over and appears to be going in the opposite direction of what many predicted.

Sweepstakes Casinos Offer Prize Opportunities

When you play in any sweepstakes casino, there’s the chance to win prizes.

Those wanting to play just for fun can use ‘Gold Coins’, while prize-hungry players can bet ‘Sweeps Coins’ when playing available games.

Players who are then able to collect enough of these virtual Sweeps Coins automatically become eligible for prizes, with 1 Sweeps Coin converting to $1.

Hypothetically, if a player wins 100 Sweeps Coins, that means they’re entitled to around $100 worth of prizes, such as two $50 gift cards.

Ultimately, the prize redemption aspect of sweepstakes casinos is what keeps players coming back in huge numbers, and the fact that many of these casinos offer ‘sign-up bonuses’, which you can collect from Sweeps Kings, keeps players even more incentivised.

Outside of prizes, sweepstakes casinos also offer other features like free-entry tournaments, climbable leaderboards, and chat rooms, making them much more gamified than traditional online casinos.

Chumba Casino and Crown Coins Continue Raking in Players

Post-COVID, one of the biggest gaming trends by far has been the meteoric rise of sweepstakes casinos.

By this point, you’ve almost certainly seen your favorite Kick and Twitch streamers using them for live streams, or played in one yourself.

Among Gen Z and Millennial gamers in particular, they’ve proven to be a smash hit, which is why the likes of Chumba Casino and Crown Coins are continuing to rake in new players at an incredible rate.

As it stands, Chumba reports having well over 1 million registered players, while the likes of Crown Coins and Stake.us also have millions of combined users.

And Blask’s data reveals that the sweepstakes casino operators attracting the highest levels of consumer demand are Chumba Casino, Crown Coins Casino, LuckyLand Slots, McLuck, and Modo, with Chumba boasting the highest percentage at 17.70%.

The US social sweepstakes casino market itself was also recently valued at $10.2 billion in 2026 by Grand View Research and is expected to reach a staggering $14.3 billion by 2030, making it one of the fastest growing iGaming verticals ever.

Clearly, the new generation is hooked on this new trend of prize-focused gaming, where in the case of sweepstakes casinos, you’re able to wager in-game ‘Sweeps Coins’ and potentially redeem them for rewards like cash transfers and retailer gift cards.

This trend has been supercharged for a while, as 27% of young people surveyed by the UK Gambling Commission said they’ve paid money to open loot boxes before, while 83% of the App Store’s 100 highest-grossing games now contain some form of loot box system.

Seemingly, this has all been leading to the rise of gambling-based gaming, which is exactly what’s going on with sweepstakes casinos, as players are now playing slots, poker, ‘crash’ games, and more with the intent of winning prizes rather than experiencing the gameplay itself.

State Crackdowns Haven’t Slowed Player Growth

Interestingly, sweepstakes casinos are still flying high despite the influx of states that have recently opted to outlaw them.

The trend started back in 2024, ending the initial ‘boom’ period for sweepstakes casinos that ran from COVID-19 up until then.

Since that year, Washington, Michigan, Montana, New York, California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Louisiana, Indiana, Maine, and Tennessee have officially banned or placed heavy restrictions on these casinos, while players in Idaho are now no longer able to redeem cash prizes.

The anti-sweepstakes casino movement taking place in the US did, albeit temporarily, slow down the sweepstakes casino market, although it quickly bounced back.

For now, at least, the bans appear to be slowing down, with no sign of any other states looking to introduce their own legislation against sweepstakes casinos.

This will allow players to keep on accessing sweepstakes casinos in big numbers and there’s no telling how big the market could be by the time the end of the current decade wraps up, as more gamers than ever are ditching traditional consoles to focus on the more gambling-centered gaming options out there.

Should You Play?

For those yet to give them a try, sweepstakes casinos remain a fun and viable option for gamers, especially those looking to potentially win prizes.

Fun elements like tournaments, leaderboards, and giveaways are also a lot of fun.

The casinos themselves generally require players to be aged 21+ and if you opt to play by betting Sweeps Coins for prizes, it’s generally recommended you only play using free coins instead of depositing your money in exchange for them.

Try experimenting with the different game categories, too, such as slots and crash games, so that you can figure out which are most enjoyable for you.